


the way to your heart

by takakoyaki



Series: A Place to Call Home [1]
Category: Infinite (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Restaurant, Fluff, Food, M/M, Slow Build, so much food, some alcohol too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-06-02
Packaged: 2018-07-11 18:42:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7065670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/takakoyaki/pseuds/takakoyaki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Howon teaches dance by day and blogs about food by night; his new favorite restaurant is owned by Woohyun, and the food is only one of the reasons he finds himself coming back again and again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the way to your heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [allegrolines](https://archiveofourown.org/users/allegrolines/gifts).



> For P, who inspires me every day, and who encourages me to also write about the important things in life: wooya and food.

“Cooking is love made visible.”

  
-Anonymous

 

\--

 

From the outside, the Treehouse Café was just another new restaurant-cafe in the up-and-coming neighborhood where Howon happened to reside. Still, it was obvious how the café had become relatively established in a short amount of time (at least with the female, age fourteen to thirty-something bracket).

The coffee bar and dining space were spacious and brightly lit; the polished hardwood floors shone with a warm, inviting glow. The painted ceilings resembled a forest canopy, and even the lighting fixtures were shaped to look like birds’ nests. Pastel checkered pillows lined each chair, and a hand-painted flowerpot containing cheerful little plants topped each table. In the center of it all was a wood burning hearth that doubled as another planter in the summer, but currently flickered with fire since it was the middle of winter. The overall effect was cozy and cheerful all at once.

Chef-owner Nam Woohyun was a legend among café patrons, a handsome and personable young man who often talked with customers and converted many of them into regulars. The barista, Myungsoo, was known for his celebrity-like appearance, and Sungyeol, the lead wait staff, was also the talk of many fangirls’ internet posts despite being bit clumsy with the orders.

And last but certainly not least, there was the food. People seemed to _like_ it, but as far as Howon could tell, it wasn’t the front and center of most netizens’ attention.

As a semi-established restaurant blogger himself, Howon felt compelled to test how the food was compared to other trendy spots around. Perhaps out of self-consciousness, he chose to come after a short day at work, at a time when not many people were around. But his usual curiosity took over once he flipped through the menu, which offered both traditional and Western dishes.

“Hi, what can I get for—oh, a guy. What’ll you have? We also have weekly specials.”

Somewhat startled, Howon adjusted his glasses and looked up at who he supposed must be Sungyeol. He was quite tall, and his pout somehow made his features even more striking. It was obvious why there were usually a pack of giggling female students around him, and Howon was glad he had decided to come on an off hour. “What’s the special?” he asked.

“Seafood pancake, Dongrae-style. Namu saw a movie that took place in Busan and got inspired. There’s also zucchini pasta and meatballs in a light garlic sauce,” Sungyeol explained, using air quotes around the word ‘inspired.’ Despite his barely veiled sarcasm, both dishes sounded good to Howon; he ordered the pancake as a first course and the pasta as a second.

“Anything special to drink with that?” Sungyeol asked as he scrawled down Howon’s order. “We have a café menu too, y’know.”

Howon shook his head. “I’m fine with water and hot tea, thanks.”

The food came out quickly, still hot and steaming on the plate when Sungyeol set it down. The seafood pancake was far from the average dish that Howon and his family might have had back in Busan. The seafood was fresh, and the chef was generous with it, stuffing as many prawns, squid and scallops as he could into the pancake without compromising the ingredient ratios.

As he chewed thoughtfully, Howon committed every detail about the taste to memory for his blog entry later (or to call his mother over). It felt almost a shame when he got through eating it, but the next dish was just as good.  The pasta was perfectly al dente, the meatballs fluffy clouds flavored well with sweet onions and spices. The best thing was that the food wasn’t anything too frilly or fussy—it was simple and thoughtful, made with obvious care and love. In fact, Howon had gone from being skeptical to stunned at how little attention the quality of the food had received compared to everything else.

“That was amazing,” Howon mused aloud to no one in particular, after Sungyeol had whisked away his empty plate and taken his credit card to the back.

“Well, that sure makes my day.”

Howon looked up again to see a young man in a chef jacket and apron, smiling widely at Howon as he wiped down a nearby table. “We don’t get many customers this time of day, so I had time to make it just right. Oh! I mean, I’m the head chef, Nam Woohyun,” he clarified, gesturing at his outfit. “I haven’t seen you around before, so I thought I’d say hi while I give Yeollie a hand.”

Despite knowing from his research that Woohyun often comes out to talk with customers, Howon never really expected he’d do such a thing for a lone male customer no matter how slow it was. He nodded politely, attempting to hide how flustered he felt. “It was my first time, yeah. Thank you for the food.”

“I’m really glad you liked it. Usually no one orders the specials,” Woohyun lamented. “Sungyeol and Myungsoo always eat them, at least. Maybe they’re just not popular with girls?”

“Maybe,” Howon agreed, unsure what else to contribute for a moment. “Do you market towards female customers on purpose?”

“It just sort of happened that way. I’m not quite sure how I feel about it yet, since I want everyone to be able to enjoy my food.” Woohyun shrugged, a softer smile crossing his features. He really was handsome, maybe not exactly in the way Howon had expected from the reviews, but he could definitely see why he was so popular. “So… yeah, thanks for coming by.”

“You don’t have to thank me.” Somewhere along the way, Howon realized that he had failed to introduce himself in return, but it felt too late now. Still, he could tell from the food and their conversation how much Woohyun cared about the restaurant and its customers. Plus, it was practically a requirement to visit more than once if he’s going to do a fair and thorough review of the place eventually. “I’ll stop by again if I have time, maybe? I live around here.”

“Of course.” Woohyun’s grin became wide again, and Howon couldn’t help but notice how it seemed to light up his entire face. “We’re open every day of the week, with extended hours on weekends. I change the special on Fridays!”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Howon blinked, more times than was probably necessary. Every time he did, he could still see Woohyun’s megawatt smile stuck behind his eyelids, like the persistent afterimage that sometimes occurs after staring at a bright light too long.

He noticed the phenomenon occurring even after leaving the restaurant to walk back to his apartment. Perhaps that was why it wasn’t until he arrived at home that Howon realized he’d left his credit card back at the Treehouse Café.

 

\--

 

There wasn’t enough time to retrieve his card later that night, so the first thing next morning, Howon half-jogged, half-walked down the street to the Treehouse Café. It was a little before opening, but thankfully Sungyeol was outside taking a break from sweeping the sidewalk—or so Howon assumed, judging by the way he was leaning casually on a broom outside the door.

“Oh, you’re back.” Sungyeol’s eyes lit up in recognition as Howon approached, saving Howon the awkwardness of greeting him uncertainly. “Woohyun’s been waiting for you to come back for your card. I’ll go get him!”

Before Howon could ask why he had said ‘him’ and not ‘it’, Sungyeol disappeared inside the café, leaving him waiting for a few moments before Woohyun emerged instead, without a coat and looking somewhat breathless.

“H-here’s your card back, Howon-sshi. It’s our fault for not returning it in a timely manner when you were here yesterday. I kept it safe in the back,” Woohyun explained in a rush. It was so cold out that his breath instantly turned into puffs of steam in the cold air. Despite visibly shivering, he bowed deeply as he extended the paper-wrapped card to Howon.

“No, I’m sorry for bothering you when I’m the one who forgot.” Howon felt obligated to bow in return when he accepted it, hastily shoving it back in his coat pocket before straightening back up as well.  

Woohyun chewed his lip and looked like he wanted to say something more, but Howon hadn’t the faintest idea what. “Should we talk inside? It’s really cold, and you don’t have a coat,” he suggested.

“I-I guess I did rush out without one, yeah. Come on in?” Woohyun smiled appreciatively as he propped open the door to let them both in. As soon as he stepped inside, Howon could smell citrus-scented wood polish. Between the floors and furniture there was a lot of wood to polish, but no detail went overlooked under Woohyun’s care.

“So, um… Woohyun-sshi.” Howon had definitely noticed that Woohyun had used his name—obviously because he had read it on the card, but somehow the fact that Woohyun knew it made him even more flustered than before, not to mention embarrassed over such an uncharacteristic mistake—he definitely couldn’t put this in the review. “You didn’t wait for me to come back last night, did you? I had to stay late at work last night…”

Woohyun shook his head quickly, putting his hands up. “Don’t worry about it! I’m glad it was returned safe and sound.” He flashed another shy smile, even though Howon wished he wouldn’t. Every time he did, it felt like he was being pulled into Woohyun’s orbit just that much more.

It was only when Woohyun cleared his throat that Howon realized he’d been staring at the floor, lost in thought. “Anyway, I know you’re busy right now, but how about a coffee on the house sometime? As an apology for not returning your card sooner,” he suggested, suddenly looking as flustered as Howon felt. “If not, don’t worry about it at all, I really…“

“A coffee would be great now, actually. It’s pretty cold and I have some time before work.” Howon picked up where Woohyun left off, a smile involuntarily creeping onto his face. “I mean, I left extra early since I knew I had to stop by.”

“O-Oh, okay! Have a seat at the bar. Myungsoo isn’t in yet, so I’ll whip it up,” Woohyun explained as he dusted his hands off on his apron. Howon nodded, taking off his coat and setting his bag on the floor before sliding onto a wooden stool by the coffee bar. For a few precious, quiet moments he didn’t do anything besides observe as Woohyun bustled around the coffee bar, measuring out and depositing the beans in a grinder with a practiced quickness. Then, he poured the coarse-looking grounds into a tall, vintage-looking French press pot.

“How do you take it?” Woohyun asked, glancing over at Howon as he checked the temperature of the hot water before adding it to the pot. “Cream? Sugar?”

“Oh. Uh… both are fine.” Howon had nearly been too startled to respond right away, realizing too late how mesmerized he’d become by something as simple as coffee making. “So you’re not just the chef, but know your way around coffee, too.”

“I was a barista for a year during university? Sungyeollie’s the real coffee nut,” Woohyun shrugged modestly as he poured out the finished drink. “But I am partial to French press. And of course, only the best quality beans for our customers.”

“It smells great.” Howon had never considered himself a coffee fanatic either, but he did learn to appreciate it during school. When Woohyun put down the saucer and cup in front of him, along with two cubes of sugar, a tiny metal spoon, and a small pitcher of cream, it was still definitely the most excited Howon had ever been over coffee. The steam from the piping hot beverage fogged up his glasses a little as he carefully mixed in the sugar and cream, then lifted the cup and inhaled deeply before taking a sip.

The taste was deep and rich, not too acidic. Howon felt himself smile again. “It’s delicious. Thank you.”

Woohyun’s eyebrows raised and he smiled too, the kind that seemed to brighten his whole face again. “Really? It’s not as good as Myungsoo’s or anything, but—anyway, I’m glad you liked it. Feel free to order it next time too.”

Howon was about to tell him he would, but then the door opened with a jingle.

“Namu, I’m here!”

“Myungsoo-yah! Sorry, but can you clean the grinder and French press for me, and Howon-sshi’s dishes when he’s done with them?” Woohyun called back. He glanced apologetically at Howon. “I should get ready to open soon, but feel free to stay as long as you want, okay? And like I said, it’s on me.”

“O… Okay.” Howon nodded, taking another sip and watching as Woohyun disappeared into the back kitchen. Since it was about to cool down, Howon drank the rest of his coffee faster as Myungsoo wandered over to replace Woohyun, blinking sleepily as he shuffled out of his parka.

“You’re Howon? The other two wouldn’t stop talking about you yesterday,” he said off-handedly to Howon as soon as he was behind the bar, washing out the equipment Woohyun had used. “I’m Myungsoo, the barista. Hope you’ll stop by again sometime.”

“It’s nothing special, I just forgot my credit card here yesterday and he took the blame. Tell Woohyun-sshi I’ll pay for the coffee.” Howon shook his head, sliding some bills onto the counter. “And that it was very nice of him to let me in a few minutes early.”

“I’ll try, but I doubt he’ll take your money.” Myungsoo tilted his head at Howon. “He takes good care of our customers, but he can also go overboard. Just let him know up front if it’s too much.”

“It’s not a bother at all.” Howon stared down at his empty coffee cup. The truth was, he wasn’t sure why he’d accepted Woohyun’s offer in the first place, but something about Woohyun’s demeanor made Howon feel comfortable enough to do so. “I’m the one who imposed, so I should at least give something in return.”

Myungsoo stared evenly at Howon for a long moment. Eventually, he merely shrugged and took Howon’s cup and saucer for him.

“Suit yourself.”

 

\--

 

After New Year’s passed, Howon’s workload at the dance studio where he taught and managed classes became more hectic due to an ownership change. His next few visits to Treehouse Café were reduced to quick stops for takeout. He tried to say hi to Woohyun if he could, but most of the time he ended up only chatting with Sungyeol or Myungsoo for a few moments before rushing back out. It felt somehow inadequate if he didn’t see Woohyun, though, so he resolved to make time as soon as work calmed down.

Once he actually had enough breathing room to sit down for a meal again, it was a busy Friday evening. Howon dragged his editor, Lee Sungjong, along with him this time. In addition to being one of Howon’s closest friends, Sungjong was socially graceful enough to deal with the fact that the only other customers at that hour were groups of girls or couples on dates.

“So this is your favorite place? It’s pretty girly.” Sungjong glanced around the restaurant with a critical eye. As with most things he meant it as an observation and not a judgment, but Howon felt judged anyway.

“I don’t really pay attention to that kind of thing,” he half-lied, shifting around in his chair and pushing up his glasses. His ears had become rather warm.

“Mm-hmm.” As someone who was quite familiar with Howon’s habits, Sungjong didn’t seem convinced.

“Wow, so you do have friends,” Sungyeol quipped after appearing to take their order, and much to Howon’s chagrin, Sungjong actually laughed.

“Friend is a subjective term these days, didn’t you know? And I’ll have the roasted corn soup, thanks.” Sungjong tossed his bangs, shutting his menu decisively.

“I’ll have the special again, Yeol-ah,” Howon tried to ignore both of them, ordering the special without asking what it was. “Have they been more popular lately? I feel like I order them every time.”

“Yeah, after your first visit Woohyunie decided to put them on a board in front so more people knew about them. Like my charming attitude wasn’t selling it enough,” Sungyeol adds sarcastically before rushing off to serve another table.

“Well, _he’s_ certainly something.” Sungjong’s eagle-like gaze swerved back to Howon as soon as Sungyeol left. “Is that the reason why you keep coming back?”

The blush that had been rising to Howon’s ears began to spread to his face and neck as well. “No! There’s no reason besides the food, Jjongie. I’m serious.”

“If you say so.” Sungjong let the subject drop, and the two of them conversed about other things until their food arrived. This time the special was savory crepes stuffed with sautéed wild mushrooms, fresh herbs, and rich melted cheese, and for a moment Howon wondered if he was merely imagining that the brown butter sauce on top had been drizzled vaguely in the shape of a heart. He discarded those thoughts as quickly as possible, thankfully distracted the appetizing smell. He ended up cutting and sharing it with Sungjong in exchange for some of his soup, which happened to be golden in color, fragrant with sweet corn puree, and entirely delicious.

“Sorry we’re too busy tonight for Woohyun to see you, but maybe next time,” Sungyeol apologized to Howon when he came to clear the table.

“It’s okay, he doesn’t have to come out just for me,” Howon insisted, more quickly than he intended.

“Did you like everything?” Sungyeol ignored his protests, turning to Sungjong instead and motioning to Howon with his thumb. “This guy always loves everything he eats here. I’m not sure if he was already biased or he’s just not picky at all.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. But it really was excellent, thank you.” Sungjong smiled at Sungyeol as he left with the dishes, though Howon knew the terror that lurked beneath that angelic exterior. Sure enough, as soon as he was away again he asked, “Who’s ‘Woohyun’? Is _he_ the one you keep coming back for?”

“No,” Howon lied automatically. But in truth he did secretly hope every time that he would get to talk to Woohyun again, to ask him about the restaurant, his food, and everything in general. How did he even start the café? But he’d barely had any real conversations with him since that one morning, let alone been able to ask if he’d taken the money for the coffee from before. “Okay, maybe. But he’s the chef-owner and also really busy, so it’s fine.”

“The chef? I knew it. Your family used to have a restaurant, right hyung?” Sungjong tilted his head at Howon. “Well, in some countries they say the fastest way to a man’s heart _is_ through his stomach.”

“I-It’s not like that at all! I’m just curious how he got here, since he’s around my age,” Howon corrected him hastily. Sungjong was a good kid, but he sure made a lot of assumptions sometimes. “Anyway, I didn’t forget my credit card this time, so let’s go.”

“Sure you don’t want to stick around in case your chef friend comes out?”

Howon glanced at the back corner where the telltale metal shine of a restaurant grade kitchen peeked out from the otherwise wooden décor. There were people in chef jackets bustling to and fro, but he couldn’t tell which one of them was Woohyun. But he was definitely in there somewhere, making each plate with care no matter how busy it got.

In the end, Howon shook his head.

“No, I’ll be back later.”

 

\--

 

As things turned out, Howon got to see Woohyun again soon—just not at Treehouse Café.

His close friend, a fellow dance instructor named Dongwoo, also tended bar part time at a restaurant-lounge in the same neighborhood. When Dongwoo texted him on a random weeknight that the bar was empty and company would be appreciated, Howon decided to freshen up and stop by after work. When he arrived, a good number of people were having dessert in the dining area, but the bar was fairly empty save for Dongwoo—and, as fate would have it, Woohyun.

“Woohyun-sshi? I’m surprised to see you here,” Howon noted as he pulled up a stool next to him, though it was well past closing hours for Treehouse Café. “Hyung, I’ll have my usual.”

“Howon-sshi!” Despite being somewhat red-faced already, Woohyun looked equally surprised but not unhappy to see Howon, a smile spreading across his face immediately. “Wait, you know Dongwoo?”

“Yeah, he’s my sunbae at work. How do _you_ know him?” Howon couldn’t help but smile in return, even though Woohyun was almost definitely buzzed and therefore maybe not actually happy to see him in particular. “Did you take a class with him?”

“Me? No, I’ve yet to venture into the world of dance,” Woohyun shook his head and gestured for dramatic effect. “I stop for a drink after work occasionally, and Dongwoo here is usually tending bar when I do.”

“Occasionally? He stops here a lot.” Dongwoo emphasized the last two words as he put a chilled bottle of soju on the bar, along with two frosted glasses. “Wait, how do _you_ guys know each other?”

“I’m sort of a regular at his restaurant,” Howon shrugged, hoping that would be sufficient, but Woohyun piped up again.

“He left his credit card at my place, but it was really Yeollie’s and my fault for forgetting to give it back on time so I gave him a coffee on the house. But it worked because he kept coming back,” he rambled to Dongwoo, but he sounded almost proud of himself. Or maybe Howon was just imagining things again. “I always know it’s Howon-sshi because he orders the special every time and Yeollie says, ‘oh, look, it’s your favorite customer.’ I think he’s teasing me, Dongwoo-yah…”

Howon carefully filed away the ‘favorite customer’ part away in his head, even if it was really only something Sungyeol said to tease Woohyun. Belatedly, he also noticed how informal Woohyun was with Dongwoo. “Wait, you’re the same age as Dongwoo hyung? But Sungyeol is my age, and he talks to you like you’re our age too.”

“He _is_ born in the same year. But he gave up his early-birthday privileges a while back when he was chasing after another guy your age, then it didn’t pan out. He’s never called me hyung anyway!” Dongwoo laughed raucously as he casually revealed Woohyun’s personal history; Howon noticed that Woohyun didn’t stop him, only gulped down more of his drink. His face had grown quite red. “Well, least your coworkers feel comfortable with you, right?”

“Yeol and Soo? Nah, they just love to disrespect me,” Woohyun said lightheartedly despite his deeply flushed cheeks. He glanced over at Howon and half-smiled. “Anyway, you don’t have to call me Woohyun-sshi or hyung or anything if you don’t want to. Just Woohyun is okay. Or Namu, or ‘hey you’...”

Woohyun trailed off, laughing quietly to himself. Howon took a long sip of soju; he didn’t see any reason to refuse the offer. “Sure. You can just call me Howon too, if you’d like.”

“I like Namu,” Dongwoo interjected, interrupting the nice moment Howon thought he and Woohyun might’ve been close to having. “Isn’t that why your restaurant is tree-themed, Nam-goon?”

“Yeah, it is.” Woohyun pounded down his next glass of soju, his expression darkening as he contemplated something or other. He clanked the emptied glass down on the bar with not too much finesse, and by now Howon was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol as well.

“Hey, why don’t you two go to a table and have some tea and dessert? It’s not good to drink this much on an empty stomach,” Dongwoo lectured them both. “We have a really nice, quiet table open now and the dessert tonight’s vanilla chiffon cake.”

“As long as it’s not chocolate.” Howon nodded slowly, looking at Woohyun. “I mean… if that’s okay with you too, Woohyun.”

“Just make sure I don’t fall asleep in it.” Woohyun quipped as he stifled a yawn, but he nodded in agreement as well.

The next thing Howon knew, Dongwoo had whisked them to a private booth in a dimly lit corner of the restaurant, the main light source being a deep purple candle in the middle of the table. If Woohyun had any opinion about the heavily romantic atmosphere, he didn’t show any reaction as they slid into their seats even though Howon watched him carefully. Once cups of tea and slices of cake had been placed on the table, Woohyun picked right up with whatever he’d been stewing over back at the bar.

“Tree. Treehouse Café,” he repeated, half to himself. “So what if I have a themed restaurant, anyway? It’s cute and cozy and the customers like it, Boohyun hyung and his fancy-schmancy lounge can—“

“Wait, your brother has a lounge?” This time Howon interrupted, inadvertently stabbing right through his cake with his fork. He’d nearly forgotten that he’d been dying to know why Woohyun had opened a restaurant. And how he knew so much, and where he learned how to cook... “Is he a chef too? Is _everyone_ in your family a chef?”

“He is. We both used to help my mom out in the kitchen a lot when I was little. I really liked watching her cook—it was like magic, you know?” Woohyun said after a while, taking only a small bite of cake. “My school advisor told me I couldn’t be a pro soccer player, so I picked up cooking seriously. But hyung also decided to become a chef, and last year he became head chef at the Nova Lounge.”

“That fancy place in Itaewon?” Howon raised his eyebrows. He hadn’t been yet, but if the existing reviews were anything to go by, it was quite popular. “Well… I think places like the café are better for the neighborhood. And, I like them more.”

It’s the truth, though Woohyun only smiles wryly. “Most people do. But there’s no denying that hyung has been successful.”

The ‘more than me’ after Woohyun’s sentence went unspoken; Howon understood anyway. “Well… I know how it feels to be in the shadow of your older brother, that’s for sure.” He said quietly, after a pause. “I haven’t been to his restaurant, but everything you cooked for me at Treehouse Café made me really happy. That counts for something, right?”

Woohyun’s attention seemed to laser focus on Howon despite his inebriated state, his eyes wide and searching, as if he was unsure whether or not to believe Howon’s words. Eventually he glanced to the side, seeming almost ashamed of himself. “Yes, it counts a lot. You’re totally right, I have to think of the customers first.”

“You already do. Don’t worry,” Howon tried to reassure Woohyun as much as he could. After all, he would be devastated if Woohyun decided he wasn’t good enough and closed the café. “You’re doing a really great job, I wouldn’t come back so much if I didn’t think so.”

“Th… thanks. Sungyeol mentioned your parents own a restaurant too. It’s nice to meet people who care about food like I do,” Woohyun said. He finally smiled again too, albeit shyly. “Um, sorry I haven’t been able to come out and talk to you as much. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to, but I had to train our new part-timers on my own. I think they’re all up to speed now.”

“No, I was really busy at work too. But things are calmer now, so I can stop in more.” Howon said earnestly. Despite this being the first real, long conversation he’d had with Woohyun, the time had passed by so naturally he had barely noticed he was almost finished with his cake. “Have you tried making chiffon cake before? I bet yours would be better than this.”

“I don’t think so? Speaking of the food here, though, I came here to scope out the competition before I even opened the café. I just happened to get along well with Dongwoo.” Woohyun admitted. “Uh, and do me a favor and pretend you didn’t hear all that stuff about me getting shot down and coming here to drink my sorrows away, please.”

At this, Howon couldn’t help but laugh. “Can do.”

It wasn’t that big of a laugh, but it caused Woohyun to stare at him for some reason. Howon quickly began to feel self-conscious. Did he have something on his teeth?

“Actually, I was going to suggest—you don’t have to say yes or anything,” Woohyun began, fumbling with his words as he squirmed around in his seat. “I have a lot more restaurants I want to check out, but it’s kind of depressing going out alone, so if you’re not busy maybe we could do this again sometime? And talk more about food? I want to hear about your parents’ place, but it’s getting pretty late and I need to open tomorrow.”

Howon considered it. He didn’t have as much free time outside of work these days, but he did want to continue his conversation with Woohyun. Plus, it would help expand his restaurant knowledge and experience, which helped towards his ‘goal.’ “Sure, just let me know when and we can work something out.”

“Okay, awesome.” Woohyun finally broke into that huge, whole-face smile Howon noticed the very first time they met, and Howon wasn’t entirely sure why he kept noticing it, but regardless it was objectively a very nice smile.

They split the bill, then exchanged numbers before going their separate ways. When he got home later that night, Howon was about to finally sleep when he decided to check his phone for messages. It turned out he did have unread texts, but only from Sungjong.

[Jjong: Hyung, are you free tonight? Are you out drinking?]

With the memory of how much Sungjong had teased him at the café fresh in his mind, Howon carefully decided to not mention Woohyun before typing a response.

[Hoya •_•: Yeah I was at Dongwoo hyung’s place. Ended up staying for dessert, sorry.]

[Jjong: No worries. Just wondering if you wanted to go out or w/e. Maybe next time.]

[Hoya •_•: Next time, yeah. Night Jjongie.]

_Go out._

As he set down his phone, the phrase struck a chord in Howon’s heart. He didn’t know why, exactly; after all, Woohyun had asked him to go to the restaurants with him, but it was merely as friends. Maybe he and Woohyun would become better friends this way, but he could have just as easily only been inviting Howon to be nice and nothing would really come of it.

Howon was no longer sure which option was more intimidating.

 

\--

 

Howon set a custom ringtone so he would know it was him immediately, but for several days It seemed like Woohyun was always busy, and Howon didn’t want to bother him. Almost exactly a week later, Howon was taking a break at the studio when he finally received a text from Woohyun.

[Namu: closing early 2nite, too many staff catching cold =_= wanna go to that Thai place that just opened???]

Howon glanced around. There weren’t too many people left around, and usually he stayed extra late to help clean up, but maybe it wouldn’t be too bad to take the evening off for once. He texted back a ‘yes,’ and his hands shook slightly as he did.

Though the weather wasn’t as harsh as the previous couple of months, Howon thought it would be rude to make Woohyun to wait up for him too long.  After washing up and changing his clothes he left as quickly as possible, not even stopping to take his contacts out.  Upon arrival to the restaurant, however, Howon realized his concern was for naught since Woohyun had simply grabbed a table and waited for him inside (which anyone would do normally, Howon realized too late).

“Sorry, hope you weren’t waiting long.” Howon apologized as he sat down, but Woohyun only laughed out loud when he saw him.

“Did you run here? What happened to your glasses?” Woohyun poured him some of the beer he already had at the table, and Howon felt heat rise to his cheeks as he downed it faster than usual.

“Oh, I was in a hurry and didn’t take out my contacts,” he explained, suddenly unable to look straight at Woohyun. “I, uh, usually only wear them while dancing. Is that weird?”

Woohyun shook his head. When Howon looked back at him, he was smiling. “No, you look nice without them. I mean not that you look bad with them,” he added quickly. It was hard to tell because inside the restaurant was kind of dark, but Howon thought he might be blushing too. “Um, so… you like Thai food?”

“I haven’t had it too often,” admitted Howon. “I’m pretty loyal to traditional food most of the time.”

“Haha, same. But I do like to get inspiration from everywhere,” Woohyun laughed again. He sounded relaxed, and it made Howon feel somewhat more relaxed too.

Soon they ordered more beer, and spring rolls, and then huge plates of steaming, spicy pad Thai with prawns and fragrant vegetable curry. Their conversation flowed naturally despite Howon’s lingering awkwardness, the two of them talking about things like opinions on particular recipes, Howon’s job at the dance studio, or Woohyun’s time in culinary school, and though Howon already knew Woohyun liked soccer he’s happy to find out that they both really like music too.

“I took up singing as a kid, but I’ve never been as much into dancing,” Woohyun explained as he helped himself to more of the curry. “I tried to practice more and kept injuring myself, so eventually I decided to go to culinary school instead.”

“It happens. From my point of view you’re really successful,” Howon reassured him. “And, well… if you still ever feel like trying again, our studio has beginner classes too. I’ve had my fair share of injuries, so I teach my students how to avoid them.”

Woohyun broke into a smile at that. “The café’s open too much for me to take one, but I definitely want to see you teaching a class sometime.”

“Really? I mean, um, drop by anytime.” Howon felt his ears burning hot for not the first time that evening. Was Woohyun flirting with him? He couldn’t tell for sure, and he didn’t want to make assumptions either. Instead he searched for a change of subject. “So what about you? Do you like teaching other people how to cook?”

“I did okay with training the assistants. It’s harder than being a student, that’s for sure,” Woohyun sighed. “All I ask for is that they really like food, so they need practice. Sometimes I wish I could just do everything myself, y’know?”

“All they have to do is like food?” Howon teased. “So if I was your assistant, you wouldn’t mind?”

Despite Howon’s obviously joking tone, Woohyun’s eyes lit up. “You could be! You’re from Busan originally, right? You should show me how _you_ make a seafood pancake.”

Now it was Howon’s turn to burst out laughing. “That’s my mom’s job, but I doubt anyone back home could make one as good as yours.”

“Your mom?” Woohyun’s expression turned thoughtful. “You’re passionate about restaurants because your parents owned one, right? Where is it?”

“It was in Incheon. Business was slow and they had to close,” Howon informed him. “I told my mom not to worry and that I would help. My goal is to get them able to open another one soon.”

“Well, let me know if you need any advice.” Woohyun nodded understandingly. “I mean, I can definitely relate. Even though it was hard for my parents to support both me and my hyung, they never discouraged me. I need to work even harder so I can repay them.”

Howon could hear the gratitude in Woohyun’s voice, and maybe it was a cliché, but for the first time in ages he felt like he’d met someone who understood him on a deeper level. Or maybe it was that he was on his fourth glass of beer, but either way, he was happy. He was so happy he didn’t notice they were both reaching for the last prawn on the plate until their chopsticks clicked together accidentally. Without missing a beat, the two of them looked up at each other before bursting into uncontrollable laughter.

“Go ahead,” Woohyun insisted once they’d calmed down, so firmly that Howon ended up taking it in the end. But even as he chewed and swallowed it, he couldn’t focus on the taste or texture at all. He could only look at Woohyun’s smile, wondering how it could be so soft and somehow secretive, for the rest of the time they were together.

 

\--

 

The first restaurant outing quickly turned into a second a week later, and then a third on the exact same day the week following _that_ , and Howon began to suspect that Woohyun changing the Treehouse Café’s schedule had something to do with their little adventures. But like with most things involving Woohyun, he couldn’t be entirely sure, and he never quite knew what to expect either. In any case, he started wearing his contacts whenever they did go out.

“I’ve decided on our next outing already,” Woohyun announced suddenly when Howon met him after work on the fourth week, as if to confirm Howon’s ‘expect the unexpected’ philosophy. “Let’s pick a day go to Nova Lounge.”

“Your hyung’s place? Sure, if you want,” Howon agreed, even though Itaewon was a bit farther than they usually went. When the day came, they met first and took the subway together, Woohyun uncharacteristically muted for most of the way.

“He won’t be expecting me to come, so we won’t see him. But I wanted to try his food at least once,” Woohyun explained as they approached the lounge. “It’s a bit pricey, so I don’t mind picking up the bill. But I didn’t want to show up by myself.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve been curious too,” Howon admitted, his honestly rewarded with the grateful smile Woohyun flashed him as he held open the door.

They were seated at a small table in the corner again, though the dining floor was somewhat loud so Howon was grateful for the relative quietness of their area. They pondered their order for longer than usual, though eventually Howon glanced over at Woohyun over the top of his menu.

“So, the café’s closing is a regular thing now? Is it okay to leave it?” he asked finally.

“I’d been thinking of closing on Tuesdays for a while, this was just the last push I needed,” Woohyun shrugged. “We don’t get as many customers for dinner on weekdays, and now that there’s a regular customer base the books say it won’t hurt business to give everyone a night off.”

“True. Everyone needs time off now and then,” Howon agreed. Despite his workaholic tendencies, he found the weekday night break nicer than expected as well. “Thanks for inviting me on your night out, I know you’re busy.”

“You say that like you aren’t busy yourself,” Woohyun laughed softly, the lights from the sleek glass fixtures above them reflecting off his uniquely pointed teeth. “Maybe next time we can go to the studio instead of going out to eat.”

Howon felt nervous at the thought of Woohyun coming to his workplace, though he supposed it was only fair since he went to Treehouse Café so often. He nodded. “That might be fun. I could show you some dance moves?”

“Just don’t be too disappointed.” Woohyun laughed in a relaxed, happy sort of way. Howon had seen Woohyun laugh plenty of times before but now suddenly forgot what he was going to say, replaced with the irrational, burning need to hear Woohyun laugh like that again. Fortunately, the waitress showed up to take their order at the same time, and Howon regained his composure as quickly as he could.

The food turned out to be tasty, if not more expensive than Howon would usually pay for. The stuffed gnocchi that Woohyun ordered was a lot better than the spiced pork dish that Howon ended up getting, but the half bottle of wine Woohyun ordered made everything even out. When the bill comes, though, Woohyun doesn’t let Howon split it with him like usual.

“I said I would pick it up, remember?” Woohyun reminded him, pushing his credit card away. “I wouldn’t have been able to come here by myself, after all.”

“But…” Howon tried to no avail to put his credit card back down, Woohyun stubbornly pushing it towards him again. He sighed. “Alright, but I’ll pay for it next time.”

“Deal.” Woohyun seemed satisfied, though when the two of them left the restaurant and Woohyun still hadn’t said anything in particular about their meal Howon couldn’t help but ask.

“So what did you think? Your hyung made that food, right? Or most of it.” Howon tried to sound casual as possible as he and Woohyun walked shoulder-to-shoulder back to the subway station.  Their arms bumped together in a way which seemed half-purposeful, half-accident.

“The truth is, I’m not sure. I couldn’t actually tell if it was my hyung’s or not,” Woohyun chewed his lip, the fact clearly bothering him. “I suppose I haven’t had his cooking in so long that it’d be impossible to know anyway, but I thought for sure I would say ‘oh, so this is hyung’s…’ but I didn’t.”

“The lounge must have a large kitchen staff, maybe he didn’t make ours,” Howon suggested. “You won’t know for sure unless you ask, I guess.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Woohyun shrugged, then fell quiet again as they boarded the subway. Howon sat quietly next to Woohyun as the subway car clattered over the rails back towards home. Without thinking he observed his side profile as Woohyun stared out the window opposite them, the way the tunnel lights passed over and gently illuminated the slopes of his face.

“Thank you, Howon-ah. For coming with me tonight.”

When Woohyun spoke up again, it startled Howon out of his idle thoughts. Howon realized belatedly that Woohyun was smiling softly at him, though it only made him feel confused.  He shook his head.

“You don’t have to thank me… you paid for the meal and everything. I should be thanking you,” he said, because it was true, though Woohyun only seemed to find this amusing.

“I had such a weird complex about my brother for so long, it feels almost anti-climactic,” Woohyun explained. “But because you came with me, it ended up being a nice evening. So… thank you for that.”

“You won’t be thanking me once I actually get you in for a dance lesson,” Howon teased him, because if he took Woohyun’s words too seriously he might end up doing or saying something he’d probably regret later.

Howon ended up walking and talking with Woohyun all the way back to Woohyun’s apartment door, though once they got to the front door of his flat he fell silent instead of going inside, abruptly stopping in his tracks a few paces in front of Howon.

“Woohyunie?” Howon stopped in his tracks too. “What’s wrong?”

Woohyun didn’t answer for a long moment, but his shoulders sagged, and Howon reached out to touch one in concern. “Woohyun-ah?”

As soon as Howon’s hand brushed his shoulder, he realized that Woohyun was trembling ever so slightly.

“Sorry.” Woohyun’s voice was soft, almost fragile. “I lied to you, sort of. It just didn’t feel right to say good night that way.”

“What do you mean?” Howon stepped in front of Woohyun, his brows furrowed in concern. Woohyun wouldn’t look him in the eye, seeming more like he’d rather shrink into himself instead. “Is… everything okay?”

Woohyun leaned forward and tentatively rested his head on Howon’s shoulder, almost as if he was afraid Howon wouldn’t want him to. And even though he knew that Woohyun was sad, Howon couldn’t help but feel almost relieved that Woohyun trusted him with his true feelings, and that he would let Howon comfort him when he was down.

“Just tell me,” he offered, finally resting his hand that’d been hovering uncertainly in the air gently on Woohyun’s back. “I’m right here, I’ll listen.”

“Howon, I…” Woohyun began, and trailed off. He took a deep breath and started again, slowly. “I-I didn’t really have a good time. I was happy you went with me, but I still thought stupid things, like ‘why isn’t it me in that kitchen,’ even though that’s not even what I actually want.”

Howon thought hard about his response before he answered, how he could best convey what he wanted to say to Woohyun. “It’s okay to have those thoughts,” he replied eventually, moving his hand in small, comforting circles on the back of Woohyun’s jacket. “Anyone would, Woohyunie. It’s okay.”

“You’re too nice to me.” Woohyun straightened up, and Howon was relieved to see that his eyes were a bit brighter than before, even if they still darted to the side as if ashamed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean for you to… to have to see this side of me.”

Howon could feel Woohyun’s trust in him, and it was enough to make something ache deep in his chest. He didn’t know how to explain that it was perfectly normal, that it was more than okay to not smile and act positive for other people’s sakes all the time, even though that was one of the many things he truly admired about Woohyun. “There’s nothing to apologize for,” he managed, hoping Woohyun understood how much he meant that. “And—I’m always here if you just want to vent, yeah? What else are friends for.”

“Right. Friends,” Woohyun repeated, and though he finally smiled again Howon thought he looked somehow crestfallen for just a moment. The moment passed too fast for him to ask what was wrong; Woohyun’s usual cheer returned in the blink of an eye, and he clapped Howon on the shoulder heartily. “Well… I’ll see you at the café soon I hope.”

Howon did his best to smile back as reassuringly as possible, though for some reason he suddenly felt kind of crestfallen himself. “Yeah, you will. Get some rest, Woohyunie.”

“Good night, Howon-ah.” With a final nod and wave Woohyun turned his key and went into his flat, but Howon felt rooted to the spot long after he was gone. Woohyun’s words, his smile, the soft weight of his head on Howon’s shoulder—it all felt like a dream, somehow, and Howon filed all of it away in his memory for safekeeping. They were still on his mind when he went to bed that night, and though his mind and stomach were full his heart felt strangely light and empty.

 

\--

 

The day following the excursion to Nova Lounge, Howon composed a brief message asking how Woohyun’s day at the café had gone. He didn’t specifically ask ‘are you feeling okay’ or anything despite the main purpose of the text being to check in on Woohyun—after all, Woohyun was an adult and could take care of himself. Still, he also didn’t want Woohyun to feel like he had been a burden by sharing his true thoughts the night before, and this was the only way Howon could think of showing that he cared without being potentially overbearing. After some deliberation, he finally hit ‘send.’

[Hoya •_•: Hey, was the restaurant busy today? The studio was pretty full today ^^]

Woohyun responded back with multiple messages fairly quickly, the vibration of his phone startling Howon even though it was still in his hands.

[Namu: oh yeah, we were pretty busy! glad it was for you too ^^]

[Namu: hey, are you free Tues again? I’m doing a private baking lesson if you want to come with… asked a favor from a former classmate. just wondering since u liked the chiffon cake so much haha =_=]

Howon blinked down at his phone, his fingers shaking a bit as he messaged Woohyun back.

[Hoya •_•: Sure, I can go if it’s okay for me to come too. Just let me know when and where to be.]

The next thing Woohyun texted him was a time and location that Howon recognized as a university, the one Woohyun must have done his culinary program at. He saved the information in his phone’s calendar, and also making the mental note to message Woohyun casually more often.

He tried messaging Woohyun a couple times over the rest of the week, at least on days when he couldn’t stop by the café, and in return Woohyun would message him at times about random things—a funny story about a customer, a joke Sungyeol told him, ideas for the next weekly special, more restaurants he wanted to try. The depth and scope of Woohyun’s thoughts and his unflappable sense of humor shone through even his short messages, and Howon felt like he was seeing another side of Woohyun all over again just from texting him.

Tuesday evening arrived quickly, and Howon found himself navigating an unfamiliar campus and making his way to a classroom. The room was equipped with shiny metal counters, utensils, various gadgets, and large industrial ovens like a typical culinary classroom. The only other people there were Woohyun and the instructor, a young man who looked to be his and Woohyun’s age. Woohyun smiled immediately when he saw Howon slide in through the door.

“Oh good, you found it. Sorry, I should have met you off-campus,” Woohyun apologized as Howon walked over, bowing slightly when the instructor nodded at him. “Howonie, this is my schoolmate Kibum. Kibumie, this is my friend I’ve been telling you about.”

“He’s been telling me a lot. Nice to finally meet you,” Kibum smiled, his high cheekbones seeming to lift his whole face as he shook Howon’s hand. “Woohyunie’s a genius when it comes to cooking, but he’s never been much of a pastry chef.”

“That’s because it involves a bunch of measuring and exactness. I’d rather just _feel_ how much my food needs,” Woohyun complained, though from the spread of ingredients and utensils on the countertop it looked like they were ready to bake up a storm anyway. “But I wanted to try something, and Kibum is the best dessert chef I know.”

“I can just help you out, I don’t have to make my own cake,” Howon offered, and his stomach did a little flip when Woohyun’s entire face brightened.

“I knew I did the right thing asking you to tag along.” Woohyun’s grin was so big that Howon couldn’t help but grin back, but then Kibum cleared his throat and they rolled up their sleeves and got to work.

Woohyun didn’t seem like an inexperienced baker at all to Howon, though he realized this was really the first time he’d gotten to actually see Woohyun make something. He was completely focused, only pausing to ask questions or direct Howon as Kibum walked them through the steps of baking the chiffon cake. He broke and separated the eggs with a practiced hand, quickly and thoroughly sifted the dry ingredients, and despite his earlier protests measured everything fastidiously before adding it to the mixing bowl. Anyone could have seen that he was truly a professional, but Howon could only hope other people also knew how much passion and sheer dedication was behind Woohyun’s natural talent and finely honed skill.

“Can you help me whisk this? I’m going to plug in the mixer,” Woohyun asked Howon, once the dry and wet ingredients were almost ready to mix. He went to the other end of the counter where the electrical outlet was, and as Howon whisked the batter he couldn’t help but notice that Kibum kept gazing at him with what seemed like curiosity, or maybe suspicion. He wasn’t quite sure, but it was somewhat unnerving.

He decided to shrug it off, especially since Woohyun quickly returned with the mixer and started beating the egg whites. Over the whirr of the appliance, Howon merely listened as Kibum and Woohyun loudly discussed how many vanilla beans would be the best substitute for the given amount of extract.

While the cake was in the oven, the three of them nibbled on slices of fruit tart Kibum had whipped up himself beforehand, and Howon was content to listen to Kibum and Woohyun catching up, chatting comfortably about their respective experiences as a pastry chef and chef-owner post-graduation. Then, Howon helped Woohyun make the whipped cream topping for the cake. He tried not to stare too much as Woohyun made a show of licking the end of the mixer attachment afterwards, the first time he’d been in a playful mood all evening.

“You’re being obscene, Woohyunie,” Kibum scolded him, though Woohyun merely laughed.

“I have to taste test it, right?” he joked, before extending his cream-covered finger to Howon. “Want to try it?”

Howon felt his face flush red despite his best efforts, and even though he knew Kibum was watching them he leaned forward and lapped some cream off of Woohyun’s finger, being careful not to actually lick his hand.

“I… it’s good,” he stammered. His own voice sounded abnormally high-pitched.

Kibum opened his mouth to say something, but then the oven dinged, and Howon suddenly became aware of the sweet scent of vanilla wafting through the room. Woohyun spun around like nothing had happened and went to take the cake out of the oven; like magic, the batter had risen beautifully into a tall, golden cake that smelled the way Howon thought heaven must smell like.

“It’s alright to stick it in the fridge to cool it faster as long as you keep an eye on it,” Kibum advised him. “I brought some unfrosted cakes from the store if you want to practice frosting it.”

“Thanks, but I’d like to taste test mine as soon as possible.” Woohyun shook his head, so after only a few minutes of the three of them cutting fresh fruit for the garnish in relative silence the chiffon cake was ready to slice.

“Maybe we could have a late birthday celebration for Namu,” Kibum suggested as he took it out of the large refrigerator, and Woohyun nearly choked on the strawberry he was tasting at the moment. “I know for a fact you never actually celebrated it.”

“But Kibumie, it was weeks ago,” he protested weakly, avoiding both Howon and Kibum’s gazes.

“It was your birthday and you didn’t say anything?” Howon gaped at Woohyun in surprise. No one at the restaurant had said a word about it. “How long ago was it? What day?”

“February 8th. It’s not a big deal or anything,” Woohyun shrugged. “We don’t have to celebrate it now, that’s just weird.”

“You’re always working too hard,” Kibum scoffed and shook his head, like Woohyun was a lost cause. “Come on Woohyunie, at least let the two of us sing you happy birthday.”

Normally Howon would be reluctant to make a fuss over a birthday, but he agreed that Woohyun deserved at least a small celebration however belated it might be. When Kibum looked at Woohyun imploringly, he joined in. “Please, Woohyunie?”

Woohyun looked between the two of them, and Howon could practically see any resistance he was holding onto melting away. He nodded. “Okay, you guys have me outnumbered. Just don’t tell anyone else.”

“Of course not.” Kibum, prepared all along, produced some candles from his apron pocket and lit them post haste. Howon flipped the kitchen lights, and all three of them started singing. Woohyun was only jokingly singing for himself, but his voice sounded rich and clear all the same, enough that Howon hadn’t been looking at the cake for a while by the time the song finished and Woohyun blew out the candles.

After that they had a piece of the cake each, and though Howon and Kibum both congratulated Woohyun on how it had turned out, Woohyun didn’t seem satisfied. Howon noticed he was still discontent as Woohyun gave him a ride home, his usual chatter at a bare minimum.

“The cake tasted really good, Woohyun-ah,” he said honestly. Woohyun shook his head.

“I can’t give it to customers, not yet. I’ll let Sungyeol’s dog eat the rest,” he announced as they pulled up to Howon’s apartment building. “Don’t worry Howonie, I’ll make something good for your birthday. Maybe.”

“How do you know it’s my birthday anytime soon?” Howon’s hand paused on the car door handle as he squinted over at Woohyun, who merely grinned. He couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head.  “You don’t have to make anything, though.”

“It is soon, then.” Woohyun’s grin widened. “Anyway, I’m only going to serve something I’m completely satisfied with, so don’t get your hopes up.”

“I won’t,” Howon assured him as he finally got out, though when Woohyun waved and drove off, he was already uncertain he could keep that promise.

 

\--

 

The end of March arrived, but Howon had forgotten all about his birthday until Sungjong texted him about it.

[Jjong: Hey hyung, wanna go out after work? I’ll pick you up and everything, it’s your birthday after all.]

Despite his continued skepticism at Sungjong driving him anywhere, Howon hadn’t made any other plans, so he texted back in the affirmative and a handful of minutes later he slid into the passenger seat of Sungjong’s hand-me-down sedan and they drove off.

“I got us a reservation,” Sungjong told him after they’d been driving for a minute.

Howon hadn’t asked him where they were going; he figured Sungjong had a plan all along, so he merely nodded. “Sounds good.”

He wasn’t entirely surprised when they pulled up to the familiar parking structure near the building where Treehouse Café was, but Howon had to roll his eyes anyway. “Really, Jjongie? This was your idea of a big birthday surprise?”

“No snarky comments until we’re inside, please.” Sungjong only rolled his eyes right back at Howon.

It wasn’t just a reservation, the entire restaurant had been cleared out except for Woohyun, Sungyeol and Myungsoo, plus Sungjong had invited Dongwoo and a bunch of Howon’s friends from the studio.

“Surprise!” “Happy birthday, Howonie!” Everyone shouted and popped streamers as soon as Howon and Sungjong came in, and Woohyun walked out from the kitchen, beaming brightly and holding a familiar looking cake with candles, decorated with whipped cream and fresh strawberries.

“I… is that?” Howon asked as Woohyun set down the cake in one of the large booths, but the only response he got was the whole lot of them singing him happy birthday extremely loudly (and drunkenly, since of course Dongwoo had brought soju and liquor for everyone). Howon blew out the candles in a half-daze, his brain racing to process everything that was occurring. In the chaos of the cake being cut and passed around, people clapping his back, and drinks being raised, he couldn’t help but look for Woohyun. Every time he tried to go over to him, it seemed like someone else pulled one or both of them aside or otherwise distracted them until the end of the night when everyone had finally filtered out and gone home.

Howon stayed with Woohyun and Sungyeol to help clean up despite their protests that he shouldn’t have to do so on his birthday, then Sungyeol went home too and left him and Woohyun alone. The two of them walked home together partway, enjoying the peaceful silence together after all the noise. It was so comfortable that Howon waited until they had nearly reached Woohyun’s apartment building before asking the question that’d been burning a hole in his mind all night.

“Did you… practice making the vanilla chiffon cake that whole time?”

Woohyun only smiled mysteriously in response. “What about you? Did you have a good birthday?”

Howon nodded, searching for the right words to thank him. Woohyun must have practiced baking the cake in his spare time ever since the lesson with Kibum, even though he had to work long, strenuous hours at the café. “I wasn’t expecting anything to be honest, so it was—it was really nice. The cake was… it was already good the first time, but this time it was perfect.”

“I’m really glad you liked it.” Tentatively, Woohyun reached out and brushed his hand against Howon’s. Even the gentle touch was enough to make Howon inhale sharply, and he felt himself blush hotly when he realized Woohyun was staring at him.

“Happy birthday, Howonie.” Slowly, Woohyun slid his hand around Howon’s and squeezed it, smiling softly as their gazes locked onto one another. “We’re the same age now.”

“I’m less than two months younger than you,” Howon pointed out, but he couldn’t help but squeeze Woohyun’s hand back, his heartbeat racing and stomach fluttering. They stood there quietly holding hands for what seemed like forever and only a brief moment; the strange tension and faint chirping of insects were all that filled the cool night air surrounding them.

Eventually, Howon cleared his throat. He felt dizzy. “I guess—I’ll see you later, then.”

Woohyun seemed to snap out of a daze, blinking several times before hastily letting go of Howon’s hand. “Y-Yeah… see you.”

Woohyun waved goodbye as he smiled and walked away, and Howon gave a small wave back, watching him disappear around the corner. After he was gone, he felt like a balloon that’d been suddenly deflated. It’d been months since they became friends, but Howon still didn’t fully understand what was happening. He didn’t know why Woohyun was always so nice to him, why he always did little things that made Howon so happy he never knew how to process it.

The only thing he did finally understand was those were only a few of the reasons he’d been falling head over heels in love with Woohyun all along.

 

\--

 

The good thing about knowing he was in love with Woohyun was that at least Howon had an explanation for all the strange things he’d been feeling lately.

On the other hand, he hadn’t the faintest idea what to do about it or how to deal with it at all, let alone how he could possibly face Woohyun again.

He became so distracted even at work that he ended up spraining his ankle during a routine practice session, badly enough where he would need a brace for at least a week. On top of that, his boss and his doctor both ordered him to stay at home and rest it as much as possible. His injury obviously wasn’t the only reason he avoided stopping by Treehouse Café as much after his birthday, though, and it wasn’t long before Sungyeol called Howon up when he was reading a book on his bed, his ankle elevated and wrapped in ice packs.

“Why haven’t you been by the café lately? Did something happen?” Sungyeol demanded immediately upon Howon taking the call.

“I hurt myself at work. It’s not a big deal, but I can’t go out as much for a while,” Howon explained, trying not to sigh.

“You’d better text Woohyun or something then. He thinks you’re avoiding him. He thinks it’s _his_ fault.” Howon couldn’t see his face, but he could still tell Sungyeol was frowning heavily at him as he spoke.

“I… I will.” Even after Howon promised, there was a long pause, and for a moment he thought the call had dropped.

“You don’t know, do you? I guess you wouldn’t,” Sungyeol said finally, and this time it was Howon’s turn to frown at his phone.

“Enlighten me.”

“He just _acts_ like he wants to be the center of attention, but he’s super shy in reality. You don’t know how long it took him to open up at all to me or Myungsoo or anyone, compared to you,” Sungyeol rambled at him accusingly. “And not that fake stuff he does for the other customers. I’ve known him forever and I’ve never seen him be like that with anyone. So hurry up and text him or I’m telling Sungjong.”

_I’ve never seen him be like that with anyone._

Something Howon couldn’t describe, a strange kind of lightness, filled his chest and made him feel like he would float away at any moment. He smiled, taking the opportunity to tease Sungyeol. “Deep down you really care about Namu a lot, huh Yeollie?”

“S-shut up. I’m going now,” Sungyeol protested, and quickly hung up. Howon took the phone off his ear and texted Woohyun instead before he lost his resolve.

[Hoya •_•: Sorry I haven’t been showing up. Got hurt at work… was too embarrassed to tell you.]

Since the restaurant is open now he doesn’t expect Woohyun to text him back right away, but reply pops up only a few minutes later.

[Namu: you’re hurt?!! how bad? do you need anything?]

[Hoya •_•: I’m ok, promise. It’s just a sprain, nothing major]

[Namu: well if you need anything later let me know, ok? hope it gets better soon~]

Howon couldn’t help but smile at his phone as he set it back down and went back to his book. At some point he fell asleep without noticing, not realizing he’d done so until there was a loud knock at the door—Dongwoo coming to visit again, probably.

“Coming,” he called out, carefully lifting himself off the bed and walking gingerly towards the door without putting too much weight on his bad ankle. When he answered it, Dongwoo was there holding bags of food, and next to him was…

“Woohyunie,” Howon breathed, his eyes widening. Woohyun looked at him almost helplessly, but at least he was smiling a little. Belatedly, he showed them both in. “C-Come on in, both of you.”

“Nam-goon here was worried sick about you,” Dongwoo scolded him much more gently than Sungyeol, but somehow Howon felt even guiltier when it was Dongwoo telling him.

“I… I’m sorry, Woohyunie.” Howon hung his head. Woohyun merely became flustered, setting the food down on Howon’s counter.

“Don’t worry about it. I was just being paranoid is all,” he explained hastily. Dongwoo looked between the two of them and grinned widely, then turned and headed for the door.

“Whoops, I forgot I had somewhere else to be! Woohyunie, you explain what we brought over, okay? Take your time!” Dongwoo waved to both of them, and before either one could protest he was gone like the wind.

“I-I’ll get him for this,” Woohyun murmured. His face was red for some reason, and it made Howon start to flush as well. “A-Anyway… it’s nothing special, but I brought you some stuff from the restaurant.”

“From Treehouse Café? I-I should give you some money,” Howon gaped at the huge bags of food now on his counter, but Woohyun reached out and grabbed his arm before he could go get his wallet.

“It’s on me,” he insisted. His gaze fell to the floor, or rather, Howon’s ankle. “You should sit down and rest, Howonie.”

Woohyun’s grip on his arm was strong, and Howon knew he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Then again, Woohyun’s generosity was one of the many reasons why Howon had fallen so in love with him in the first place. He sighed in defeat.

“At least have some of this food with me, then,” he suggested. Woohyun helped him sit down on the couch and the two of them ate in relative silence. Howon was barely able to appreciate how delicious the food was with Woohyun sitting so close to him, though at the same time the space between them seemed wider than it truly was.

“Will you tell me the real reason you wouldn’t contact me?” When they were finished eating, Woohyun’s question sliced through the tense, heavy silence. “Sorry, I just… was worried I might be a bother. Or that I was relying on you too much…”

“It’s because I rely on _you_ too much. I was worried that I’m the one who’s a bother to you.” Howon swallowed hard and shook his head vigorously. Seeing Woohyun so pained over him made him hurt too, and even if Woohyun didn’t feel the same way as him, he deserved to know the truth—deserved to know how much he meant to Howon. He looked straight into Woohyun’s eyes, his heart pounding in his chest in fear and anticipation of what he was about to say.

“W-what I mean is… I like you, Woohyunie.” Howon tried not to stumble over the words, but he couldn’t help it, as much as he couldn’t help the love that had grown and blossomed inside of him. “I… I’m in love with you.”

Woohyun stared at him for a moment, speechless. Then, like a miracle, he smiled as softly and brightly as the morning sun. He tilted his head forward, and Howon felt his breath catch as Woohyun’s nose and lips just barely caressed his cheek, light as a feather.

“I am, too. I’ve always been,” Woohyun’s voice was quiet, and so, so fragile. “I was so scared I’d done something wrong.”

“I was scared too. I still am,” Howon admitted, holding his hand against Woohyun’s face to comfort him. “But we can take it slow, right?”

Gently, Woohyun reached up and took Howon’s hand in his. He gave it a reassuring squeeze, and Howon felt himself blushing as Woohyun gazed at him like he was the moon itself. “As slow as you want. Anything you want, just tell me.”

Howon didn’t have to think about it for even a second. “I want you to stay with me,” he murmured. “Please.”

This time they both leaned in towards each other and their lips met, sweet and only a little hesitant. Howon meant for it to be short and chaste, just enough to barely taste Woohyun’s lips. But Woohyun gave a little gasp underneath him, a quiet, needy sound, and it was enough to dissipate the last of Howon’s anxiety, giving way to the stronger emotions flickering hotly inside of him. Howon felt them burning even brighter as he parted his lips and tilted his head to deepen the kiss; his breath exchanged with Woohyun’s as their lips slid together, and his hands cradled Woohyun’s jaw as gently as he could. In return, Woohyun moved his legs so he could sit comfortably on Howon’s lap, and it felt like he was made to be there. His arms pulled Howon in and held him close, so close their bodies pressed flush together. He could feel the warmth of Woohyun’s skin through his clothes when they were this close, and his mind started to grow fuzzy at the edges with desire.

“I-I should go,” Woohyun breathed when Howon finally stopped kissing him, a long while later. “I won’t be able to hold back anymore if you keep doing this, Howon-ah.”

“Stay with me tonight.” Howon shook his head, keeping his arms snugly around Woohyun. “We—we don’t have to _do_ anything, I just… want you next to me. I want to know you’re there with me.”

“I thought you wanted to take it slow,” Woohyun teased him, but then he smiled and pressed a soft kiss to Howon’s forehead. “I would love to stay as long as you want me here.”

“It’s really okay?” Howon felt the color rise to his cheeks belatedly as Woohyun’s smile grew warmer and fonder, his eyes full of gentle affection. “You don’t need to go home?”

Woohyun shook his head. He took Howon’s hand in his and pressed it to his chest, right over where his heart was.

“I don’t need anything but this,” he whispered, his eyes round and bright and more beautiful than Howon had words for. It was all he could do to return his smile just as warmly as they kissed each other again, and wonder how each time could be even sweeter than the last.

 

\--

 

_Draft: Treehouse Café_

 

_I really like the Treehouse Café. I like how Sungyeollie jokes every time he takes your order, and the French press coffee. I like the weekly specials and all the food I’ve ever eaten there. I like the way everything is made with love._

_But most of all, I like you._

_I like you because I like the way you smile because you’ve made someone else happy. I like your serious face when you’re cooking, or writing, or thinking. I like that you aren’t your brother, and I like you for the fact that you opened a cozy little place called the Treehouse Café, that you drew me in and kept me there._

_I like that you let me call you home._

 

\--

 

It’d been a full year since Howon started trying to write his official review of the Treehouse Café, and now that he spent much of his time in the apartment above it with Woohyun, it only got that much more difficult to write. Even now he was on Woohyun’s couch and staring at the post he had just written for him; obviously, it was too cheesy to put on his actual blog, but he wanted to at least try and put his gratitude into words.

“Howonie! It’s just about time to go,” Woohyun called from the entryway, interrupting his thoughts. Howon hurriedly closed his laptop and rushed out to join him, leaning over to kiss Woohyun’s cheek as he quickly put his jacket and shoes on.

Once they were ready, Howon closed and locked the brightly painted apartment door behind them. Hand in hand, the two of them were finally ready to head down to the Treehouse Café.

“Sorry, I got distracted again,” he apologized before they started off, and Woohyun nodded knowingly.

“I figured you would be, which is why I got ready early.” He leaned over and returned Howon's earlier gesture, except for it was Howon’s lips he gave a tender kiss before pulling back. “Want me to make you some coffee before you head out?”

The complete happiness and contentment filling Howon’s heart bubbled up in the form of a smile, and when Woohyun smiled back, it reflected everything Howon felt inside. He nodded.

“I would love some.”

**Author's Note:**

> Recipes referenced:  
> [Seafood pancake](http://kimchimari.com/seafood-green-onion-pancake/)  
> [Meatballs](http://damndelicious.net/2014/02/21/swedish-meatballs/)  
> [French press coffee](http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-perfectly-robust-french-press-coffee-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-113601)  
> [Savory crepes](http://www.food.com/recipe/savory-mushroom-spinach-cheese-crepes-373390)  
> [Corn soup](http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/08/smoky-roasted-corn-soup-with-chipotle-chile-from-the-beekman-1802-heirloom-vegetable-cookbook.html)  
> [Vanilla chiffon cake](http://bakingbites.com/2014/09/very-vanilla-chiffon-cake/)
> 
> psst follow my [art twitter](https://twitter.com/takatsudon_art)


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